3. My Motto

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I’ve never had much of a motto, at least growing up and through things that threatened my progress into who I am today. I was often too caught up in the details of pain and pleasure to really think deeply about the big picture – sure, I’ve always had those fantasies of what I want to do with my life, who I want to become but I’ve never really evaluated how to get there.

Oddly enough, I didn’t find a motto to put stock into until I ventured into a theater to see a production of Avenue Q – yes, I’ll admit the strange derivation of my message. It was quite simple and something I’ve had issues learning, even fathoming:

“Everything is only for now. Everything is temporary.”

Sadness. Joy. Pain. Love. Anger. Prosperity. Life. They are all relative variables of our larger picture.

You may lose someone in your life, but you can’t dwell on it – that isn’t what they would’ve wanted for you and it does nothing to bring them back.

Joy, love, prosperity, and life are things to savor because you don’t know when you’ll lose them.

I’ve found this phrase fuel me in multiple facets. I’ve started running (and working out some); what helps push me along is the convince myself the pain and exhaustion is temporary and, overall, the end will justify the means. At work, rather than getting frustrated over a coworker’s nonsense or a project that appears to carry the weight of the world, I can step back and confirm within myself that once I accept it’s occurring, the sooner it’ll be over. With living arrangements, I find myself frustrated that I’m not with the person I’ve committed myself to for the last seven years – though it’s mainly on my shoulders – but it’s just a temporary hang up.

One could argue it’s just living in the moment, but I find it helps me mentally reach the next step in my road.

So I always try to remember: “This is only temporary and the sunrise is just over that hill.”